RN's vs. Students @ clinicals

jaxmom63 · Dec 10, 2005

I have done clinicals at the same hospital for all 7 semesters, (going into my 8th and last in January, woo woo), and the staff have all been great to us. They know they are a teaching hospital, and don't look at us as a burden. We are able to hand in evaluations at the end of semester and any staff that get acknowledged for being really helpful get recognition from the hospital. Every now and then you get a nurse that is having a bad day and will be a little short with us, but this is the exception, not the rule. Most of us have been asked to apply at the hospital when we are finished with school. So I guess I lucked out with my clinical assignment.

Emmy:Santa3:

Trauma Columnist · Dec 10, 2005

I'm an experienced ER RN and I have to apologize. We are a large teaching hospital and we have up to 13 nurses working at one time which seems like a lot. However, we provide clinical experiences for three schools of nursing, an LPN program, a surg tech program plus multiple EMS agencies. It is stressful to have a student. I'm a case manager and I truly welcome the students but having more than two with me, is not helpful to them or me. I am not excusing such rude behavior from this floor. However, you're cut because (at least in most areas of the country) there are many students with few clinical opportunities. Just vow that you will not be like they are. Take care and congrats on getting through this.

TexasPediRN · Dec 10, 2005

I'm sorry to hear that you had this situation- there are always the hospitals and nursing staff that just arent good to students, and its sad.

We can never get rid of that saying that "nurses eat their young" because of situations like these.

I do understand where you are coming from, and its hard being a student on the floor. I know they said not to interrupt the nurses on the floor, but, I'm assuming your patient is assigned to a nurse, correct?

I would go out of my way to find this nurse, talk to him/her, and introduce yourself. I would also ask her if she has anything interesting to see if she could come get you. ( I know this is the end of this rotation, but for the next rotations this may prove useful, regardless of whether or not its a bad situation).

Its so hard to do care when other nurses and staff are like this. Please realize that this isnt everywhere. Many nurses love students around, and many dont- simply for the fact that it adds more "stress" to their already stressful day.

The comment you got about only have 4 hours of clinical..I remember those days, and 4 hours does suck doesnt it? You dont get the experience of a real shift until you graduate. I went through it..and I know how nurses didnt like students there for only 4 or 6 hours..its hard but..oh well. You are there to learn, regardless of the hours involved.

Did your clinical instructor know this situation? I would def. let her know, and perhaps she can talk to that nurse manager and get things straightened out. Nobody deserves to be treated badly when they are entering a profession.

I hope that what happened didnt get you down- realize there are more good nurses then bad out there, and maybe some big changes were going on behind the scenes that made this particular nursing staff like this..it really is a shame though.. I love having students and orienting new nurses, even though I am a new nurse myself. Dont let anything discourage you, and when you get that degree and get students- You'll have a better understanding of what they are going though, and hopefully you will give students an awesome orientation one day!

Good luck :)

-Meghan :nurse:

S.N. Visit, BSN, RN · Dec 10, 2005

I've just experienced rudeness by nurses for the first time a well. We have one particular nurse that is very nasty to all us. I was charting for my pt, and this nurse asked if I was finished yet, and I said "'No, I just started charting, but if you need to have the book go ahead, I can wait", and I proceded to hand it to her while while keeping my place open in the chart. She took it, flipped through it and then shut the book on me while giving me an evil look and sarcastic smile. I was completely speechless. Her intention was for me to loose my place and have to search feverishly for the page that was now like a needle in a haystack. I didn't say anything to her, I kind of felt bad for her because she obvioulsy has social problems. I can't imagine she has too many friends acting like this. Then just a few minutes later, while I'm still trying to find my place back in the chart, my classmate was standing right in front of her at the nurses station and said, "Excuse me, would you please tell me where I can find such and such for my pt?" The nurse looked at her, turned and walked away. So my classmate said "Okay, Will any one that works here please tell me where I can find such and such?" Not one nurse helped, thankfully the ward clerk sheepishly pointed her finger in the right direction.

Every morning we come in and say "Good morning!", do you think we even get an acknowledged? Nope, but were not letting them make us frown.

Our instuctor thinks they are mad because we won't go out of our way to do their patients baths while were there. (We only have time to do our own, plus pass meds, dressing changes, foleys ,chart, assessments etc.)

So I guess my point is, yes I have to deal with it, and I'm just going to let it slide off my back. thank God I only have to be there for three more weeks.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 10, 2005

We did put up an article around the nurses areas about "mentoring your own" and it was a great article about giving students a break and to remember what it was like to be in our shoes, etc." They left them posted for a while, but I saw they were down this week.

While it may have been an article giving great advice, i don't think it was an appropriate action to post it (without permission i might add). The nurses could interpret this as an attack (not saying it was).

Going to the floor's DON might be a little more effective for the situation you're describing.

student_girl · Dec 10, 2005

My first 2 clinicals (same hospital, two different units, same instructor) were horrible. Most of the nurses were not nice to us. Of course, it made things harder for us. I later found out that our instructor was the one having problems with the staff. She made lots of mistakes, so the nurses were afraid that something bad would happen to the pts. Off topic, but once, while showing students (not my group) to do s/c shots, she played with the syringes they had used, pulling the caps off and on, and stung (sp?) herself with one. :eek: Long story short, all the students had to take blood tests...

Back on the topic...this semester's clinical (I finished yesterday! ) was better. A better teacher, was knew what he was doing. The nurses were kinder to us. One was a bit hard to us, but it wasn't that bad. Funny thing is, we bought chocolates for the floor, as a thank you gift, and that nurse became more friendly!:chuckle

Try to buy chocolates, or donuts. Maybe they'll be nicer to you!:rotfl:

Just my two cents... :twocents:

SG

tencat · Dec 10, 2005

I'm sorry to hear people are having bad experiences with clinicals. I wonder what makes nursing staff more accepting of students.....The nurses at the hospital I was at clinical for this semester were wonderful. So obviously some places are good. I wonder if it has anything to do with putting students into a situation where people are really disgruntled already because work conditions are bad.....

Kelly_the_Great · Dec 10, 2005

I'm sorry to hear people are having bad experiences with clinicals. I wonder what makes nursing staff more accepting of students.....The nurses at the hospital I was at clinical for this semester were wonderful. So obviously some places are good. I wonder if it has anything to do with putting students into a situation where people are really disgruntled already because work conditions are bad.....

Sometimes too, tencat, I think it might be lack of communication between the clinical instructors and the nursing staff.

You know, what the student's skill level is, what their learning objectives are to be for this particular rotation and what the students' limitations are.

Just a thought.??

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 10, 2005

I think a lot of it stems from having 7-10 pts. per nurse and on TOP of that busy load, you're supposed to deal with students (which is typically found out as soon as you see them walk on the floor), when no one asked if it was ok with you (and no that doesn't excus ethe snide remarks, etc.)

And before anyone jumps on me for saying that, it was only 1 1/2 years ago that i was doing my clinicals, and i felt the same way about this as i do now.

I agree, communication is key, however, everyone involved should have a voice.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 10, 2005

I am so sorry to read about your experience. I am starting clinicals soon and have been worried about this too. I pray for the best, but I think you should speak to the DON, and maybe he/she can talk to them and get to the root of the problem. Best wishes to you.

MrsCannibal · Dec 10, 2005

One of the hardest things about clinicals seems to be dealing with the nurses who make it tough to be a student...after 2 rotations at the same hospital, dealing with nurses who made it clear students were not welcome, I got to go to a different hospital for my L & D rotation. While the nurses in L & D were sometimes frustrated by the number of students clogging the nurses station, taking charts, or using the Pyxis, for the most part they seemed friendly and thanked us for the patient care we performed. The only drawback? Going into the locker room after every 12 hour clinical day, and finding most of our clothing thrown into a pile in the middle of the floor, or having a nurse demand that we give up our seat to her during report, even though there were empty seats all around the conference table, or standing quietly nearby while listening to a nurse complain about the students making her job so hard while knowing that she only had 2 patients that day, and students are taking care of both of them while she plays Solitaire on the computer for the entire 12 hour shift...all the while, we kept the coffee pots full, brought in flavored creamers and breakfast goodies every week, and hosted a carry-in dinner during our last clinical to "thank" them for treating us so well! And this was my "good" clinical experience!